Saxophone



A. LOOMIS SAXOPHONE Sept. 22; 1936.

Original Filed March 25, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 22, 1936. A, oop 5 2,055,382

SAXOPHONE Original Filed March 23, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 22, 1936 PATENT OFFICE SAXOPHONE Allen Loomis, Elkhart, Ind., assignor to C. G. Conn, Ltd, Elkhart, Ind. a corporation of Indiana Original application March 23, 1933, Serial No. 662,235. Divided and this application March 7,

1936, Serial No. 67,566

'7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in wood wind musical instruments, and it is described specifically with relation to improvements in saxophones, although the instruments need not necessarily be made of metal.

It is an object of the invention to provide key mechanism which will enable the player to cover or uncover respectively tone holes which are too numerous to be controlled directly by the fingers of the hands of the musician.

It is also an object of the invention to provide key mechanism, whereby the operation of any key in a group of keys will induce the actuation, not only of the valve controlled by the key, but also of an additional valve forming a part of the instrument.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic structure which will effect the opening of an aperture on the instrument upon the actuation of an arm, the control of which is effected either by the depression of a finger plate connected with said arm or by any one of several other finger plates located adjacent the first named finger plate.

The invention also has the object of providing an assembly of finger plates closely adjacent each other and in a single plane, each plate associated with a key and each key associated with a stopper operable thereby, one of the keys of this assembly being adapted to operate an additional valve which formsa G-sharp stopper, so that the last named stopper is operated upon actuation of any one of said finger plates.

The invention also has the object of facilitating the production of the trill with the G-sharp tone by rendering the G-sharp stopper subject not only to the finger plate played usually by the little finger of the left hand, but by controlling the same stopper through an additional trill key playable by another stronger and more controllable finger.

-With these and numerous other objects in view, an embodiment of the invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings to which reference is made in the following specification: Fig. lis'a side elevation of a saxophone embodying the improvements of the present invention, numerous details of the instrument not required for the. present invention being omitted;

Fig-2 is an elevation of an assembly of finger plates and keys adapted to be controlled by the little finger of the left hand and also illustrating the connection with the G-sharp trill key;

Fig. 3 is an end view against the upper edge of the key plate assembly illustrated in Fig. 2 and 5 showing the body of the instrument in section;

Fig. 4 is an edge view of the key plate assembly illustrated in Fig. 2 viewed from the left of the figure;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of one of the finger 10 plates of the assembly illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the G-sharp key and a portion of the body on which it is mounted;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of one of the finger plates and its arm;

Fig. 8 is a detail transverse section on line 88 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 9 is an elevational view showing the assembly of the trill key mounting.

The body I of the instrument may have the usual conventional form with a flaring bell at one end and the mouthpiece at the opposite reduced portion of the body.

The assembly of keys and bars for controlling the same upper octave holes and other tone holes located near the upper portion of the body does not constitute a part of the present invention, and for the detailed description thereof, reference is made to the co-pending application filed on March 23, 1933, Serial No. 662,235, of which the present application is a divisional.

The specific improvements of the present invention are directed to the assembly of keys or finger pieces for controlling the G-sharp key and other keys. This assembly comprises a plurality of fiat finger plates arranged closely to each other to permit the little finger of the player to slide from any of these plates to another one; the assembly of these plates and the pertaining bars and keys controlled thereby is, furthermore, characterized by the arrangement whereby depression of any of these plates of the assembly will also effect the opening of the normally closed G-sharp pad of the instrument.

The uppermost plate ID of the assembly of plates illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 serves for specifically operating the G-sharp finger pad. For this purpose the plate [0 is fixedly connected with an arm II which is pivoted adjacent the lower end thereof on brackets l2 rising from the a low B-flat finger plate 22.

purpose of facilitating the actuation of all finger plates of the assembly, the finger plate It being the one which is near the top of the group has substantially triangular shape.

The pad l5 for G-sharp is rigidly mounted by means of arm H; on a sleeve H which is supported for rocking movement in posts |8, |8 rising from the body of the instrument. The sleeve i1 is of a well known type and contains a reinforcing bar (not shown) which connects these posts. The sleeve also is controlled by a spring (not shown) which has a tendency to turn the sleeve to a position in which the pad i5 is rocked away from the pertaining aperture of the instru-' ment to open position. Another arm i9 extends in opposite direction from the sleeve point axially spaced from the arm i6.

I8 at a The end of the last named arm is urged by the spring (not shown) of sleeve ii .to seat in a notch H of the arm Upon depression of the arm I therefore, the normally closed G-sharp pad IE will be opened under the action of said spring.

The assembly of finger pieces associated with the G-sharp finger plate it comprises a low C- sharp' finger plate 20, a low B-finger plate 2| and These finger plates are arranged contiguous to each other in a single plane and are operable independently of each other.

An arm extending from the low C-sharp finger plate'ZU is fastened to a long hinge bar 23 supported in suitable posts to extend parallel of the body of the instrument. The hinge bar 23 carries adjacent the lower post an arm 24 having a low C-sharp stopper 25 at its end. The inner face of-this stopper is directed upward, whereby upon a depression of the finger piece 29 the pad or stopper 251s moved to open position, while upon release of the finger piece 20, the stopper is closed by means of a spring. not shown.

As indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, the arm extending from the finger plate 20 is provided on its under face with a short angle 26; the horizontal arm'of which overlies the deflected portion M of the arm II for the G-sharp finger plate I0.

It is obvious, therefore, that upon depression of the low C-sharp finger piece 20, this angle or wiper 25 will also depress the deflected part IA of the arm H in the same manner, as if the finger piece Hi would have been depressed to permit the G-sharp pad or stopper l5 to swing'to open position. This opening movement occurs at the same time at which the low C-sharp stopper 25 is being opened.

The plate assembly also comprises a finger piece 2| for the low B-key; this finger piece is surrounded by the finger plates Ill, 20, and 22. The finger piece 2| is fixedly connected by the arm 36" to a hinge 21 extending parallel to the hinge 23 and also supported by posts on the body of the instrument. The hinge 21 carries the arm 28 for the lowB-pad or stopper 29 which is normally open. It is held in this open position by means of a spring, not shown. Upon depression of the finger piece 2|, the low B-pad 29, therefore, will be closed.

face with an angular extension 30, Fig. 4, overlying the defiected portion I4 of the arm so that upon depression of the low B-plate 2| the low B-pad 29 will be closed, against the force of a spring (not shown) and acting on hinge 21, and at the same time the G-sharp pad |5 will be opened owing to actuation of the arm I I While actuation of the finger plate It solely controls the stopper or pad Hi, the finger plate 2| controls the B-pad 29, and also at the same time controls the G-sharp stopper l5.

The fourth finger plate 22 serves for actuating the low B-fiatpad or stopper 32. This finger v plate is rigidly connected by an arm 33 to the hinge bar 2| extending parallel to the bars 23 and 2?, and which is also suitably supported in posts. This plate 22, as shown in Fig. 3, overlies the wiper or arm' 39 projecting from the lower face of the finger piece 2 I, so that upon depression of the low B-flat plate 22, the low B-fiat pad 32 will be closed. The low B-natural pad 29 also .will be closed, and at the same time the pad |5 for G-sharp will be opened, since the wiper 30 on'the low B-key 2| depresses the upper portion of the G-sharp arm ill, 29, 2| and 22 is set forth at length in the above mentioned specification No. 662,235 'of which the present is 'a divisional.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 8, the arm extending from the finger plate I0 is provided at its free end with an angular extension 34 which overlies a cam 35 fixed to the hinge 36, to which hinge the arm 37 for a G-sharp trill key 38 is secured. The angular extension 34 of the arm H is normally held in a position to engage the cam 35 owing to the spring |3 acting on the arm Ordinarily thefinger plate In and the other finger plates 28, 2|, 22 are played by the little finger of the left hand. With most players this finger is not strong enough or supple enoughto permit a trill motion being imparted thereby to the plates and hence to. the pertaining stoppers or pads. The angular extension 34 of the arm I! is under control of the cam 35, thereby permitting the key 38, which is within reach of a finger of the players right hand, to be moved in'such manner that pad |5 of G-sharp, frictionally associated with arm I i will be rapidly and repeatedly operable when desired. The hinge sleeve .36 is freely rotatable on a rod on which it is supported, and the G-sharp stopper thereby is adapted to be converted to a trill stopper for the corresponding tone hole. A trill, therefore, may be imparted to the G-sharp tone or to any other tone whose production involves operation of the pad I5;

The offset portion l4 of the armH is in such angular relation to the arm itself as to produce the correct lever arm ratios for insuring that the contacts of the wipers on this deflected part are without backlash at the extremes of the motion imparted to the arm [I either by actuation of the G-sharp finger plate l0 independently of the other finger plates or imparted to the arm i by the actuation of any of the other finger plates 20, 2|, 22. As. shown in Fig. '2, the fingerplates 20, 2|, 22 are equipped with rollers positioned at their marginal portions. These rollers. do not form a part of the present invention and are fully described in the co-pending application. Serial No. 662,235.

The spring, not shown, for opening the nor arm IS on which this pad is secured may turn freely about the axis of the hinge sleeve. The spring, therefore, would have a tendency to open the pad I unless it would be prevented by contact with an element which overlies the pad IS. The overlying element is illustrated in Fig. 9 as a bar 39 soldered or secured in some other way to a pad 40 for G-natural and projecting axially of the instrument towards the G-sharp pad IS. The spring, not shown, acting on the hinge I! for the G-sharp stopper or pad I5 is so much lighter than the spring l3 underlying the arm N, Fig. 6, that the reaction of this stronger spring |3 against the body of the instrument will overcome the light hinge spring, not shown, permitting the arm H to maintain the G-sharp pad IS in closed condition. The axial bar 39 serves for returning and for holding the pad IS in closed condition.

The G-natural pad 40 is carried by an arm extending from a short hinge sleeve which is also connected through a yoke with the hinge sleeve from which the pad 4| for the F-tone hole is supported. The yoke 42 fixedly uniting the hinge sleeves for the pads 40 and 4| for G- natural and F respectively, actuates the pad 43 for F-sharp. Another pad 44 in axial alinement, in respect of the instrument, with the pads 4|], 43 and 4| serves for controlling low and middle E. The pads 43, 4| and 44 are all fixed to separate hinges turning independently about the same axis. A depression of any of these pads will also induce a depression of the G-pad 40 with the result that the bar 39 soldered to the pad 40 will also depress the pad l5 for the G-sharp tone hole. The details of these connections are fully described in the copending application, Serial No. 662,235 of which the present is a divisional.

I claim:

1. In a wood wind instrument, the combination of G-sharp, low B-flat, low B and low C- sharp finger plates closely adjacent each other and in a single plane to form a plate assembly, keys extending from said individual finger plates, stoppers operable by said keys, an arm extending from the G-sharp finger plate, a transverse pivotal support for said arm, a G-sharp hole stopper, and means operable upon actuation of said G-sharp arm for causing operation of the G-sharp hole stopper.

2. In a wood wind instrument, the combination of a G-sharp finger ,plate, an arm extending therefrom, means for supporting said arm pivotally about an axis transverse to the axis of the instrument, means for normally maintaining said arm in spaced position relatively to the instrument, a G-sharp stopper, a hinge extending axially of the instrument and carrying said G-sharp stopper, a second hinge extending axially of the instrument, a G-sharp trill lever supported by said second hinge, means for actuating the G-sharp stopper upon operation of said G-sharp finger plate, and means at the end of said arm for permitting actuation of said G-sharp stopper upon operation of said trill lever.

3. In a wood wind instrument, the combination of a G-sharp finger plate, an arm extending therefrom, means for supporting said arm pivotally about an axis transverse to the axis of the instrument, means for normally maintaining said arm in spaced position relatively to the instrument, a G-sharp stopper, a hinge extending axially of the instrument and carrying said G-sharp stopper, 2. second hinge extending axially of the instrument, a G-sharp trill lever supported by said second hinge, and operable remotely from said finger plate, means for actuating the G-sharp stopper upon operation of said G-sharp finger plate, and means at the end of said arm for permitting actuation of said G-sharp stopper upon operation of said trill lever.

4. In a wood wind instrument, the combination of a G-sharp finger piece, an arm extending therefrom and pivotally supported from the instrument, a G-sharp pad, a hinge on which said G-sharp pad is mounted, means for operatively connecting said hinge with said arm, a G-sharp trill finger piece remote from the first named finger piece, a hinge on which said second named finger piece is mounted, and means for operatively connecting said last named hinge with said first named arm, whereby actuation of said pad by either of the two finger pieces is attainable.

5. In a wood wind instrument, the combination of a G-sharp finger plate, a G-sharp stopper normally closed and constrained to move to open position upon release, a G-sharp trill lever remote from said finger plate, and common means under control of the G-sharp finger plate and of the trill lever for releasing the G-sharp stopper to open position.

6. In a wood wind instrument, the combination of a G-sharp finger plate, a G-sharp stopper normally constrained to closed position, a G-sharp trill lever, an arm, one end of which is operable by the G-sharp finger plate, supporting means extending from the G-sharp stopper to said arm, and means operatively connecting the trill lever with the other end of the arm.

7. In a wood wind instrument the combination of a G-sharp finger plate, an arm extending therefrom, means for supporting said arm pivotally about an axis transverse to the axis of the instrument, means for normally maintaining said arm in spaced relation relatively to the instrument, a G-sharp stopper, a hinge extending axially of the instrument and supporting said G- sharp stopper normally in closed position, a second hinge extending axially of the instrument, a G-sharp trill lever supported by the second hinge, an arm extending from the first named hinge into engagement with the G-sharp arm, an arm extending from the G-sharp trill lever into engagement with the arm at a point remote from the point of engagement of the first arm, whereby actuation of said G-sharp arm is obtainable by either of the other arms.

ALLEN LOOMIS. 

